My Father Le Bijou 1922

If you’ve been following me on Twitter the past few weeks you already know where this review is going. The My Father Le Bijou 1922 was released at the 2009 IPCPR in New Orleans. I’ll admit, the sample I got from the show wasn’t that impressive…maybe my palate was fried, maybe they were rushed, maybe the air conditioned environment wasn’t up to par, maybe…well, you get where am I going right? There are just too many factors involved when smoking a show sample. Luckily enough the My Father Le Bijou 1922 that are out in the humidors today are amazing.

You may be wondering what is the difference between the original My Father and the My Father Le Bijou 1922. Basically its the wrapper. The original My Father used an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper whereas the My Father Le Bijou 1922 uses a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper. Now I’m no tobacco expert but the Le Bijou wrapper is made from Pelo de Oro tobacco which apparently is a pretty difficult tobacco leaf to grow since its susceptible to disease. Nice to see Don Pepin isn’t afraid to take on a challenge.

Video runs around 10 minutes and I found the My Father Le Bijou 1922 to be right up my flavor profile alley. It sits in that Medium-Full body spectrum so it will appeal to both crowds. The ornate bands and thick billowing smoke make the Le Bijou nice eye candy, while its creamy, woodsy flavors will draw you in. What really does it for me is the subtle dark chocolate notes that the blend of the My Father Le Bijou 1922 produces. Its not the dominant flavor, its subtle but adds a unique complexity to challenge your palate.

If you do decide to try the My Father Le Bijou 1922 on for size, I’d recommend the Petite Robusto size. While the Toro and Churchill size are good, the entire blend (wrapper, binder, filler) all standout and shine in the Petite Robusto size of the My Father Le Bijou 1922.

I was also suprised the regular my father made it on there over the le bijou, i just assumed it was too new. Then again how is the casa magna number one, let alone on there 2 years in a row.

I gotta say i like the toro the best, but never the less this is an amazing smoke. God damn smoke has it all, and the wrapper looks like a piece of dark brown silk. If i ever hit powerball you bet your ass i’ll be smoking these like they came in bundles for 20 bucks.

Good stuff. I know I was very excited when this cigar came out since I’ve been a big fan of the original My Father since day one. The first few Le Bijous I had were solid cigars with a nice draw and burn, but like you, I bought a few to sit and rest and its delivery while smoking got infinitely better over just a few months time.

To me there isn’t much the Garcia family has done that isn’t a winner in some respects, even though some will argue that Pepin kind of has a formula (if you will) to churn out cigars because his basic models are all rather similar. I’ve not had the Petite Robusto in this stick and I need to since I’ve been smoking the Toros and Churchills. (For those of you who want a bigger cigar, the Churchill here smokes better than the Toro in my opinion.)

I gotta agree with you, mine got better in just a month. I set another 3 aside, i’ll be trying one in 6 months and the other after a year, then the last i’m saving for the perfect occasion so long as the other two age as i suspect they will.

I am 100% in agreement Jerry. I love the Le Bijou 1922 and have smoked both the grand and petite robustos and the petite robusto seems to be more complex and smooth. And with cold weather here, that shorter size smaller ring gauge just does the trick (that’s not what she said). Plus at $6-$7 a stick (which is about $4-$5 less than the other sizes) it’s nice on the wallet too. Great job.

Oh and Mike, don’t feel ashamed about mispronouncing the name of the cigar. lol I have heard the name slaughtered by many. And in fact, it’s not “buyyou” or “bejoe” or “begeeoh” it is pronounced like “be-zhu” listen here to the pronunciation – http://www.answers.com/topic/bijou

As always, keep up the good work guys, you are the best at what you do.

I must really be old as I remember some movie theaters call the Bijou so I know how to pronouce that one. Anyway nice reveiw and boy those sticks look great. I plan on getting a few and from what I have read in the comments, I will let them rest for a few months at least and the fire one up.

Super review Jerry…I agree with you 100% on the Petite Robusto vitola..I’ve tried the Toro and the Grand Robusto..Both great cigars..but that little extra sweetness in the Petite Robusto put it over the top for me..
Great Job Jerry..
Rob

Just smoked the churchill size last night and your review is right on as always Jerry. Very smooth and I loved the occasional chocolate coming through. Also got a nice rich coffee flavor with just a touch of the Oscuro bitterness. Really was a complex and wonderful cigar.

i’ve not tired the My Father yet but this is definitely one of Don Pepin’s best cigars. It’s so good as a matter of fact that oddly I wouldn’t want to smoke it all the time because it’s one I’d prefer to smoke when I have the time to really focus on the cigar while relaxing.

Good review, Jerr! Le bijou, or ‘The Jewel’ is right on for this stick. Everything from the gorgeous double band to the rich complex flavors, to the perfect draw, makes this cigar a treat. I just scored a box of the petit robustos and couldn’t be happier. I got it on thursday and I think I have 15 of the 23 left! The occasional oscuro bitterness is definitely true here and there but for me the last couple inches, if you just take tiny puffs, is as delicious as any cigar you’ll smoke. I nub every single one and as soon as I’m done I feel like I want to light up another one. It came out too late to hit this year’s top 25 but I feel confident that we’ll see it on next year’s list.